Who Says What to Whom? The Impact of Communication Awareness on Exclusion in Multiparty Negotiations

Abstract:     
Previous research on coalition formation has argued that people exclude others to maximize their own payoff. However, the majority of this research has been conducted in settings where participants do not interact person-to-person or where they communicate through highly restricted means. We argue that this view on exclusion needs to be modified to allow for richer means of communication and interaction during multiparty negotiations. Data of two experiments are designed to examine how various communication settings shape a sense of awareness and unity within a group and influence coalition formation. Study 1 showed that negotiators with enhanced communication awareness display more positive emotions, use more inclusive tactics, and exclude each other less often from final agreements than negotiators with diminished awareness. Study 2 replicated this effect and showed that the opportunity to literally hear and see each other further increases communication awareness and decreases exclusionary behavior.

Keywords: Multiparty negotiation, Social exclusion, Communication awareness, Communication setting, Communication channel

Working Paper Series